Bruins-Lightning Game 7: 7 things B’s must do

The Bruins are hours away from either the Stanley Cup[1] finals or the end of their season. Sticking with our “seven” theme, here are seven of the many things the B’s should do as they look to take Game 7 vs. the Lightning.

– Get the same first line they got in Game 6: The trio of Milan Lucic[2], David Krejci[3]andNathan Horton[4] were an absolute handful for the Lightning on Wednesday. Krejci had a hat trick, while a shift late in the third period had the line threatening to tie the game on great opportunities for Krejci and Horton. Lucic scored the Bruins’ first goal of the game, and all three members of the line had multi-point nights.

– Limit the penalties or stop Tampa’s power play: The Bruins shut down Tampa’s power play in three straight games (nine power plays), but the Lightning figured it out in Game 6 to the tune of three tallies on the man advantage. As a result, the B’s will look to stay out of the box to avoid giving guys like Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis those chances. A penalty likeTomas Kaberle[5]‘s interference of Ryan Malone[6]in the third period is easily avoidable.

– Capitalize on Dwayne Roloson: The Bruins’ top line went hard after Tampa’s netminder in the shift that followed Krejci’s third goal, and on a night in which Roloson didn’t look very good, they probably wish they had a few more minutes to tie it up. Roloson entered the series with the best postseason save percentage and goals against average, but he has been yanked twice, sat once, and has an .851 save percentage in five games in the Conference Finals.

– Play Tyler Seguin[7]on the second power play unit: If fans had their way, Tyler Seguin would center a line with Tyler Seguin and Tyler Seguin on the wings, and Tyler Seguin and Tyler Seguin playing defense in front of goaltender Tyler Seguin. People think he’s the magical solution to everything, and they overlook the fact that he still a work in progress with his overall game and the fact that he often will give up on a play before taking contact. With that being said, Seguin belongs on the power play. His offensive skill set and lack of everything else means his time is best spent on the man advantage.

– Get a lead and hold it. The Bruins have led in two of the three games they have lost this round.

– Get the Patrice Bergeron[8] they are used to. Much was made prior to the series of how the B’s could play without Bergeron, and though they split the two games in which Bergeron was out with a concussion, he saw Wednesday that they lose without him. Bergeron had zero shots on the night and was a minus-1. Bergeron did have three points over the previous two games, but Wednesday was a forgettable night for the assistant captain.

– Make sure they know where Simon Gagne is: It’s a Game 7 against the Bruins and he’s playing in it’¦ need we say more? Gagne has three goals this series against the B’s after racking up four in four games vs. Boston in the second round last year.